Meet Our Current Public Education Champions

Amanda Funk is an experienced educator with 25 years of experience in instructional coaching, school leadership, and classroom teaching. After serving as an instructional coach and assistant principal, she returned to the classroom to develop a Career & Technical Education (CTE) program for 11th- and 12th-grade students aspiring to become future teachers in the School District of Lancaster. Passionate about culturally responsive and inclusive practices, Amanda designs hands-on learning experiences that prepare students for real-world teaching while fostering a strong sense of community and belonging.

A lifelong learner, Amanda is currently pursuing her doctoral degree, focusing her research on first-generation college students of color in predominantly white teacher preparation programs, with interests in belonging, persistence, and community cultural wealth. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys reading, traveling, photography, cooking, and spending time with her daughter and her dog, Gracie.

Janell Weaver became a Public Education Champion to learn more about policy at the state level as well as how to effectively engage with elected officials. With that knowledge and skill, she hopes she’ll be better equipped to serve the students in her community. Her goal is to champion public education and influence others to see its value.

Janell is a mother of two in Union County, a registered nurse at a local hospital, and a non-attorney special education advocate. In her spare time, Janell likes to train and compete in triathlon, play board games with her family, read books about disability or written by disabled authors, hang out with friends, or stay at home and do absolutely nothing!

Julieta Booz is a retired Civilian Naval Aviation Program Manager with over 35 years of leadership experience in Naval Aviation Research and Development, Acquisition, Logistics and Support. She has led many integrated teams involving multiple disciplines, across government and contractor organizations. While working for the Navy, Julieta Booz was responsible for the development, management, and execution of a variety of multi-year projects worth tens of millions of dollars per year. Julieta received the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the Department of the Navy.

Julieta earned her Bachelor of Science in Aerospace & Ocean Engineering from Virginia Tech and Master of Science in Engineering Science from Pennsylvania State University.
Upon retiring in 2017, Julieta Booz and her husband Don moved to the Gettysburg area. She helped prepare future U.S. citizens for their citizenship test, checked in voters as a former poll worker, was treasurer for the women’s group at her church and is active in a variety of Gettysburg area initiatives and events.

Prior to 2020, Julieta was a non-affiliated voter and as a government worker followed Hatch Act regulations. In 2020, Julieta became a registered Democrat and canvased the Gettysburg area neighborhoods to collect signatures for the primary ballots. Julieta is now running for the Gettysburg Area School Board because she believes that a School Board Director should be non-partisan and is one of the biggest investments a person can make.

Julieta and her husband have three married sons and six grandchildren.

Christopher D. Mano is an educator, community advocate, and author dedicated to advancing equitable and high-quality public education in Pennsylvania. He has taught hundreds of K–12 students, adult learners, and online audiences, including Title I schools. Chris brings expertise in curriculum development, instructional design, and student engagement.

A four-time published author and researcher, Chris explores topics including civic engagement, U.S. history, and education policy. He also develops online courses to empower learners and foster active citizenship.

Through the Public Education Champions program, Chris aims to deepen his advocacy skills, collaborate with fellow education leaders, and contribute to lasting improvements in Pennsylvania’s schools, ensuring that all students have access to meaningful learning opportunities

Maddie Anthes joined the Public Education Champions to learn how to be a more effective advocate for public schools. After growing up outside of Cleveland, Ohio and graduating from a public school system, Maddie realized that many of her core values and strengths were first fostered and nurtured by her public school upbringing.

Now a resident of Bethlehem, PA, she is a member of the Proud Parents of Bethlehem Area School District. She believes in the mission of public education and wants all kids to have the funding and resources they deserve. Maddie has also worked in public higher education institutions for thirteen years, focusing on student success, academic retention, and eliminating barriers to higher education.

In her free time, Maddie writes fiction, watches Cleveland sports and terrible TV (which are sometimes one and the same), and reads.

Tracy Smith has 30 years of experience as a public school teacher and administrator. For the last four years, she has worked part-time as an Academic Coordinator/Instructor for Delaware Valley University, where she continues to enjoy working with teachers towards completing PDE certifications as they prepare for leadership roles in local school districts. The courses she teaches focus on the intersection of educational technology, research, and statistical analysis.

In addition to EdVotersPA, Tracy volunteers for organizations such as the Greater Lehigh Valley United Way, Fair Districts PA, the Pennsylvania Literacy Coalition, and the League of Women Voters of the Lehigh Valley. She has worked to address local educational issues via the Greater Lehigh Valley Consortium on Excellence through Equity (GLVCEE), receiving Lehigh University’s Cooperative Leadership Award in 2020 as a result. In 2021, she received the Women of Influence Award from the organization Lehigh Valley Business for her work on developing collaborative partnerships within the area.

One of Tracy’s favorite quotes is by Desmond Tutu: “There comes a point where we need to stop pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out WHY they are falling in.” She currently resides in Macungie, PA, with her husband, Bruce, a retired public school teacher.

Ann (Annie) Perepezko is a licensed social worker and School Intervention Coach at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Center for Violence Prevention. In this role, Perepezko partners with schools throughout Philadelphia to implement school-based interventions that improve children’s social and emotional skills and promote positive peer relationships. She has over a decade of experience working in the areas of child advocacy, mental health, and education. Perepezko began her social work career at the Defenders Association of Philadelphia, advocating for youth involved in dependency and delinquency court. Following this position, Perepezko worked at an elementary school in West Philadelphia where she led teams focused on developing and implementing school-wide behavioral interventions and collaborated with students, staff, and families to improve school climate and student outcomes.

Outside of her work at CHOP, Perepezko is working toward her PhD in Social Work at Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. For her dissertation, she aims to examine the individual and school level factors that influence social emotional learning implementation. She is also interested in exploring the ways federal and state policies connect with or diverge from SEL practices in the classroom. In the 2023-2024 academic year, Perepezko was honored with the CSWE Doctoral Student Policy Fellowship Award. As part of a select cohort, she gained invaluable experience in translating research into impactful policy, while also advocating for key policies on Capitol Hill. She is eager to continue learning about education policies and advocacy with this cohort of Public Education Champions.

Kim Jaramillo is a physician, medical educator, and proud public school graduate dedicated to strong, well-funded public education. Kim is running for school board and enrolled in the Public Education Champions program to deepen her understanding of how education policy is shaped at the local, state, and national levels. She sees the program as an opportunity to build the knowledge, skills, and network that will make her a more effective, well-informed board member and a stronger advocate for students, educators, and families.

Away from work and school volunteer activities, Kim stays active, loves to cook, and can usually be found running a local trail, traveling, lost in a good book, or enjoying time with her husband, two sons, and their two dogs. She believes that healthy families and vibrant public schools grow together to create strong, connected communities

Julie K. Mesaros is enthusiastic about serving the community as a Public Education Champion this year. She pledges to work collaboratively with her cohort and the staff of Education Voters PA. Julie brings unique perspectives as a K-12 teacher, public servant, policy analyst, and stepparent. As an English as a Second Language teacher, she led multicultural classrooms in Asia and the United States. She has advocated for youth extensively, understanding that sound public policy is critical for ensuring children’s rights – to be protected and fairly educated – and for adequate, equitable state funding of public schools.

As Chief of Staff for PA State Representative Chris Pielli, Julie supports his legislative initiatives and directs his district office serving constituents in a non-partisan manner. Her advanced degrees in Education and Public Policy & Administration developed research and analytical skills valuable to public service. Julie values this opportunity to advocate for children’s rights locally and across the state. She’s also a candidate vying to serve on the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board.

With more than four decades of experience, Dr. Peggy Schooling is an accomplished educational leader, systems thinker, researcher, and advocate with a deep commitment to fostering environments where teaching and learning are driven by the unique needs, interests, and abilities of each student. She is a one of the authors of the Pennsylvania Student-Centered Learning Blueprint, which uses a systems approach to drive improvements in teaching and learning.

Dr. Schooling began her career as an early childhood teacher, speech pathologist and reading specialist. She has also held key leadership roles in various educational institutions to include PK-12 public education, nonprofits, and higher education. Over the course of her career, Dr. Schooling has had the privilege of partnering with teachers, school and district administrators, and several state education agencies across the United States and abroad in the areas of educational leadership, professional learning systems, student center learning, system wide change, and literacy.

Dr. Schooling holds a doctorate in educational leadership and recently retired as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania School Study Council and Professor of Practice at Penn State University. She is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Education Policy Fellows Program and the Advanced Education Policy Program. She currently supports districts in building sustainable systems that drive continuous improvement. Her work reflects a lifelong commitment to aligning educational practices with evolving needs and fostering system-wide transformations that make a lasting impact on learners’ success.

Dr. Bob Jarvis very much looks forward to the opportunity to contribute to and enhance the continuing success of the Hatboro-Horsham School District as a School Board Director come November, and looks toward impacting state and local education policy in Pennsylvania through engagement as a Public Education Champion. He brings 45+ years of distinguished experience in support to K-12 school district leaders and staff that nurtures sound equity-informed policies and practices, and the successful implementation of continuous school improvement efforts. He holds MA and PhD degrees in Educational Psychology from Michigan State University.

In his professional career Bob’s activities in K-12 and Higher Education have largely focused on supporting school district leaders and educators in building their capacities to better serve the learning and social-emotional needs of increasing numbers of challenged and underperforming diverse learners. He recently retired after 22 years as the Director of the Coalition for Educational Equity in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

He has provided consulting and training support to the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Departments of Education, as well as literally hundreds of regional schools and districts in PA, NJ, DE and NY in support of their improvement efforts. The shared quest has been to eliminate the historic and pervasive gaps we too regularly observe in student achievement, attainment and learning opportunity most often defined by race/ethnicity, disability, gender and poverty.

Passionate about shaping the next generation, Ms. Susan Samuel is deeply committed to training young adults to pursue careers in early childhood education and entrepreneurship. Through her organization, It Takes A Community To Raise A Child (ITAC), she partners with youth organizations and summer employment programs to offer hands-on experiences working with children—from infants to school-age—instilling practical skills and purpose in committed young individuals.

A shining example of a modern, accomplished woman with a distinctive style and unwavering drive, Ms. Samuel began her professional journey in 1989, fueled by a vision to launch her educational program. Starting as a paraprofessional, she advanced to public school teacher, then daycare director, and ultimately Assistant Principal within the NYC Department of Education.

Her impressive credentials include:
– Permanent New York State School Administrator and Supervisor certification
– Certification in Early Intervention from the Department of Health
– Permanent New York State Licenses in Special Education and  Common Branches (Pre-K to Grade 6)
– 25-Hour Alcoholism Certification
– Graduate of the Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO) program

Ms. Samuel holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from York College, a Master of Science in Special Education from Queens College, and a Professional Diploma in School Administration and Supervision.

As the founder of Susan Samuel Consulting Inc., she provides technical assistance and training for individuals interested in launching childcare centers, securing license renewals, and receiving educational support. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to children and families, the New York State Senate honored her with Senate Bill “J1782.”

Her professional affiliations include the Professional Association of Day Care Directors/NYC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Kiwanis Club, and the Association for Minority Enterprise of New York (AMENY).

In addition to her work in education, Ms. Samuel is an ordained chaplain and minister who remains deeply engaged in both professional and local communities. She is the founder of the Queens Chapter of the National Action Network and currently serves as the Regional Director of Crisis for the State of Pennsylvania for NAN’s Crisis Committee.

Ms. Samuel played a pivotal role in providing respite care through the Community Partnership Initiative (CPI), with a particular focus on addressing foster care issues.

Her community involvement also includes past and present:
– Regional Director of Crisis for Pennsylvania/ National Action  Network
– Serving as a member of the ACQC/HIV Awareness Network of Queens
– Board member of the Women and Children Subcommittee
– Board member of the South Ozone Park Community Development Corporation
– Chair of the Education Committee for the Federation for Family Unification and Preservation.
– Chaplaincy Clergy-Worldwide Association of Small Churches -Through NYPD
– GOD Squad-Community organization and clergy against gun violence
– Inspector for elections, Lehigh County

Brittany Bova is a passionate and driven professional who blends strong advocacy, interpersonal skills, and mission‑oriented focus in her work. With a background in social services and community support, Brittany has built a reputation for being a trusted community member and change‑maker.

For over a decade, Brittany has worked as a Mental Health School Based Service Coordinator in public schools, partnering closely with students, families, educational staff, and community organizations to ensure that children and youth have the support — academic, emotional, and systemic — they need to thrive. She is deeply committed to equitable, culturally competent service, and sees herself not just as a coordinator, but as an advocate and ally in each family’s journey.

Brittany holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, which has shaped her understanding of systems-level challenges and social justice. Brittany is also a proud graduate of Schenley High School which was a Pittsburgh Public School. Brittany is also running for school board in the Carlynton School District in Carnegie, Pa. 

Outside of her professional life, Brittany enjoys hanging out with her family, cheering her kids on at various sporting events, and volunteering at the Highmark Caring Place for over 17 years.